Seventeenth Thursday in Ordinary Time

I went down to the potter's house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done' says the LORD.

We are like clay and God is the potter. He gave us life, shape, and purpose. He has raised us up by His Own Hand and given us a role in His Divine Plan. It is not His fault if we are weak, if we lose our shape, if we waste the gifts and talents He has given us. And if we turn out badly, we should not be surprised when He takes hold of our lives, collapses them, and reforms them. He does this not to destroy or punish us, but to give us another chance to fulfill His Will. He opens new possibilities by closing old and abandoned ones. Yes, it is hard to have our lives shattered by trials and sufferings, but they are given to us for a reason. To help us to become better people. So, when we do suffer, let us not complain, but accept what has happened and reshape our lives in the mold of Jesus Christ who bore his cross so we might be cleansed of our imperfections and remade in the image and likeness of God.

Are we willing to let God reshape our lives? What areas of our lives have become misshapen by sin? How can we learn to keep our eyes open to new possibilities even in the midst of trials?

O Lord, mold us in your image.

Amen.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

"What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

When we were born, our parents and other family members probably wondered what we would be. The possibilities were endless and the future unknown, perhaps for some of us this is still the case. However, one thing is for sure, the Lord is with us just as He was with John. If we let Him nourish us on holiness and humility, then we too will grow and become strong in the spirit. God knows what He wants us to be, it is up to us to accept His invitation and fulfill our promise or chose our own way and seek our own ends.

What, then, will we be? How do we let the Lord think, speak, and work through us? What is God’s plan for us and have we accepted it?

O Lord, be with us so that we might grow and be strong in the spirit.

Amen.